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2015/08/24

Of Note: ‘Invincible’ (7th Heaven Radio Mix) by Kelly Clarkson

Of
Note: ‘Invincible’ (7th Heaven Radio Mix) by Kelly Clarkson

Who
doesn’t love Kelly Clarkson? She’s
real. She’s relatable. She can sing just about anything. In a way,
she’s America’s sweetheart.

Sure,
she’s had her battles: Clive Davis (he is kind of a dick), body-issues (when
you can sing like Kelly, who cares), and indifferent material (ummm, yeah)… but
all that only makes her even more lovable. The most divisive the lady has ever
been is when she voices her choice for the presidency.

‘Invincible’, is merely the latest in a long
line of likable, easy to digest, upbeat singles issued forth by Ms. Clarkson
and her handlers. Singles that come
easily, sound pretty much the same, and fade into radio memory fairly quickly. They’re the musical equivalent of Twinkies,
but with a shorter shelf life.

One
could argue that those life-empowering anthems hold great personal meaning to
many a listener. One could argue that
her songs reflect Ms. Clarkson’s own personal struggles. You could argue that, but – given history
(both that of pop music’s and artists like Ms. Clarkson) – you’d be wrong. Someone
sets them up, and she, with her incredible pipes and unerring sense of pop
smarts, knocks them out of the park.

Not
that there’s anything wrong with delivering up sugary slices of pop-infused
sponge cake. Nor is there anything
really wrong with the term ‘Secretary Rock’, although it is frequently used in
a sexist manner, typically only referring to upbeat music performed by female
artists. Me? I think of acts like Train, when that term
comes to mind.

I keep
thinking that Kelly is going to come into her own someday.

And
that day, is today.

With
the completion of her contract with Mr. Davis, the lady is on her own – she has
the opportunity to call her own shots.
Will she? She loves to sing songs
written by others and even made popular by others. Her in-concert covers demonstrate a breadth,
cleverness and a talent for recognizing great material. Not all singers are meant to write their own
material. I have an inkling Ms. Clarkson
falls into that category. And there’s
nothing wrong with that.

For
years now, Kelly has clocked in and done as told, singing the soon to be Top 40
staples crafted for her by the folks at her label.

So,
what now, brave voyager?

Country
music? You’ve demonstrated that you like
to dabble. You toured with your
mother-in-law, Reba. You did a duet with
Jason Aldean. It seems your voice would lend itself nicely to that sort of
country-pop, perhaps bringing a level of talent to the whole genre.

Or, are
you happy being the Kelly Clarkson you’ve worked so hard over the years to
develop?

No
matter what you do – you will succeed, because America’s got your back, kid.

And
America has never really had an American Sweetheart age without falling off
that pedestal (Amy Grant springs to mind.)

Avoid
being shrill. You can afford to sing
songs without resorting to the very top of your register every time. You’re not Jessie J. You’re not Arianna Grande. You’re not Katy Perry. You’re Kelly Clarkson.

Avoid
being angry. America is full of
anger. We don’t need any more.

Ummm…
and avoid that whole goth thing. (See
‘My December’ – the only time you ever asserted yourself.) That didn’t turn out very well, now did
it? But you’re older and wiser now.